Byte Sized

Researchers studying thousands of people found a counterintuitive truth: the people who go deepest with AI are the ones who stay most true to themselves. In this episode of the Bite Size Podcast, Helen Edwards, co-founder of the Artificiality Institute, shares research-backed insights that challenge Silicon Valley's loudest claims about artificial intelligence replacing human workers.

This conversation cuts through the fear and hype dominating AI headlines and replaces it with something far more useful: a research framework that helps dental professionals understand how AI actually changes the way we think, work, and grow. Helen and Adrian explore why the "AI will replace all jobs" narrative is driven more by venture capital investment strategy than by evidence, how dental AI tools like X-ray analysis expand clinical work rather than eliminate it, and what the "three B's" (blending, bonding, and bending) reveal about your relationship with AI tools right now.

Whether you are a dentist watching robotic implant demos or a practice owner wondering how AI will reshape your team, this episode gives you a framework to think clearly about what AI should do, what humans must continue to own, and how to stay the author of your own mind.

ABOUT HELEN EDWARDS

Helen Edwards is co-founder and researcher at the Artificiality Institute, a nonprofit research organization studying the relationship between human performance and artificial intelligence. She and her co-founder and spouse, Dave Edwards (former Apple software product manager and early internet executive), have conducted research with over a thousand participants across hundreds of hours of workshops. Helen is a visiting researcher at UC Berkeley's Center for Human-Compatible AI (CHAI) alongside Stuart Russell. She is also a sought-after keynote speaker and one of the more compelling voices on TikTok challenging the binary narratives around AI and the future of work.

COMPANIES AND RESOURCES MENTIONED

Suno AI (AI music generation): https://suno.com

Waymo (autonomous vehicles): https://waymo.com

Artificiality Institute: https://www.artificiality.world

UC Berkeley CHAI: https://humancompatible.ai

My Social Practice: https://mysocialpractice.com

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/05/ai-healthcare-byte-sized-pod/
• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/04/learning-ai-hiring-byte-sized/
• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/03/authentic-marketing-for-dentists/

CONTACT INFO

Guest: Helen Edwards Website: https://www.artificiality.world

Social: @artificiality on TikTok and Instagram

Host: Adrian Lefler Website: https://mysocialpractice.com

👍 Subscribe for more on dental marketing, AI in dentistry, and practice growth.

#DentalAI #AIInDentistry #ArtificialIntelligence #DentalPractice #FutureOfWork #DentistryPodcast #HumanAndAI

TERMS & TRANSLATIONS (For Show Notes)

Blending: One of three ways AI changes how we think, according to Helen Edwards' research. Blending is when a person's reasoning merges with AI-generated thinking to the point that the two become difficult to separate. For a dentist, this might look like using AI to draft a treatment narrative and genuinely adopting that framing as your own thinking.

Bonding: The second dimension of AI integration in Helen's framework. Bonding occurs when your professional identity begins to attach to the AI tool, and you start to see yourself differently because of how you use it. A practice owner who now thinks of themselves as "tech-forward" because of their AI tools is experiencing bonding.

Bending: The third dimension. Bending is when AI expands the frameworks you use to make meaning and solve problems. It is the growth dimension. A dentist who uses AI to explore clinical literature outside their specialty and starts asking new kinds of diagnostic questions is bending.

Cognitive Sovereignty: Helen's term for staying the author of your own thinking. It means maintaining awareness of how you use AI, having agency over those choices, and being accountable to others for the work you produce. For a clinician, it means the judgment behind a treatment recommendation remains yours, even when AI assisted the analysis.

Vibe Coding: A term from AI research describing the ability to build functional software by describing what you want in plain language rather than writing code. Relevant for dental practices because it means practice owners and office managers will increasingly be able to create custom tools for scheduling, communication, or reporting without hiring developers.

Augmented Dexterity vs. Autonomous Intelligence: Helen's framework for evaluating dental robotics demonstrations. Augmented dexterity means a robot is enhancing a human's precision in a controlled, highly staged environment. Autonomous intelligence would mean the robot is truly making independent clinical judgments in unpredictable, real-world conditions. According to Helen's research, dental robotics today is far closer to the former than the latter.

Most dentists focus on blog posts and ads to build authority online, but Google and AI systems increasingly decide who to recommend based on who other trusted sources vouch for. In this episode, digital PR expert Chris Panteli breaks down how dentists can earn media coverage in publications like Forbes, Healthline, and People Magazine, and why that matters more than ever in the age of AI search.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

Chris Panteli, founder of Linkifi.io, joins Adrian Lefler to explain how earned media and digital PR are reshaping dental authority building online. From backlinks to brand mentions, Chris walks through why Google and large language models like ChatGPT and Gemini rely on third-party trust signals to decide which dentists to recommend. Whether you are a solo practice owner wanting local recognition or a DSO building national brand awareness, this episode covers practical strategies for landing your name in trusted publications, what tier one placements actually do for your website, and why a dentist in a small market can realistically get quoted in the New York Times.

ABOUT CHRIS PANTELI

Chris Panteli is the founder of Linkifi.io, a digital PR agency specializing in earned media and authority building. After building his own personal finance website and earning placements in major publications through journalist outreach, Chris turned that skill into a full-service agency. Linkifi offers two core services: SEO Digital PR, focused on earning authoritative backlinks, and Authority PR, focused on building brand visibility across Google, LLMs, and national media.

DENTAL AI AND TECH COMPANIES MENTIONED

Linkifi - https://www.linkifi.io/

Linkifi Free Cheat Sheet - https://go.linkifi.io/press-coverage-cheat-sheet-page

HARO (Help a Reporter Out) - https://www.helpareporter.com

Source of Sources - https://www.sourceofsources.com

Quoted - https://quoted.news

Response Source - https://www.responsesource.com

SEMrush - https://www.semrush.com

Ahrefs - https://ahrefs.com

ChatGPT - https://chat.openai.com

Perplexity - https://www.perplexity.ai

Claude - https://claude.ai

Gemini - https://gemini.google.com

Grok - https://x.ai

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

• https://mysocialpractice.com/2025/06/seo-for-dentists/
• https://mysocialpractice.com/2025/11/marketing-for-dentists/
• https://mysocialpractice.com/2025/12/dental-brand-mentions/

CONTACT INFO

Guest: Chris Panteli Website: linkifi.io

Host: Adrian Lefler Website: https://mysocialpractice.com Phone: 877-316-7516

👍 Subscribe for more on dental marketing, AI in dentistry, and practice growth.

#DentalMarketing #DigitalPR #AIinDentistry #Dentistry #DentalPracticeGrowth #EarnedMedia #DentalSEO

TERMS & TRANSLATIONS (For Show Notes)

Earned Media Coverage or mentions a business receives because of genuine credibility, not paid placement. For dental practices, this means getting quoted in a publication like Healthline because a journalist found your expertise valuable.

Backlink A link from another website pointing to your website. A backlink from a trusted source like the American Dental Association signals to Google that your dental practice is credible and worth ranking.

LLM (Large Language Model) The technology behind AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. These systems understand conversational language and are increasingly where patients turn to find dental recommendations.

Digital PR A strategy that uses journalist outreach to earn trusted links and brand mentions. For dental practices, this means pitching expert commentary to journalists covering health topics so the practice becomes a cited authority online.

Tier One Publication A media outlet recognized for high traffic and strong editorial standards, such as Forbes, Healthline, the New York Times, or the Guardian. A mention or link from a tier one publication carries far more authority than one from a lesser-known site.

HARO (Help a Reporter Out) A free platform where journalists post requests for expert commentary. Dentists can monitor these requests and pitch their expertise to earn quotes in national publications at no cost.

AI Overview Google's AI-generated answer appearing at the top of certain search result pages. These summaries pull from trusted sources, and dental practices with strong earned media coverage are more likely to be cited.

Brand Entity How Google and AI systems identify and understand a business as a distinct, trustworthy presence online. For a dental practice, this includes consistent information across the website, social profiles, and third-party mentions so AI systems recognize and trust who you are.

Most dental AI tools don't fail because of bad technology. They fail because of a people problem that no one in dental tech is talking about. Jennifer Derse is here to explain what is really going on and what dental leaders need to do differently.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

When a dental practice invests in AI or new technology and sees little to no return, the instinct is to blame the software. But Jennifer Derse says the problem is almost always behavioral. Implementation fails when teams lack buy-in tied to purpose, when leaders underestimate how people respond to change, and when identity gets fused to old protocols. In this episode, Adrian and Jen cover the neuroscience of change, the shame cycle that blocks clinical growth, why micro cash incentives fall short of building real habits, and what it takes to make AI in dentistry actually stick. If your practice is struggling to get any new tool or workflow to land, this conversation will shift how you think about leadership.

ABOUT JENNIFER DERSE

JENNIFER DERSE is a dentist, co-founder of Aspire Dental, and clinical consultant with over two decades of experience building and systematizing dental support organizations. After helping grow Aspire Dental from one location to 39 practices, she transitioned into full-time coaching focused on helping practice owners improve clinical systems, team performance, and operational leadership. She is a Kois Center mentor with deep expertise in cosmetic and restorative dentistry.

COMPANIES AND RESOURCES MENTIONED

Espire Dental: https://www.espiredental.com/

Kois Center: https://www.koiscenter.com

Drive by Dan Pink: https://www.danpink.com/books/drive

Mindset by Carol Dweck: https://www.mindsetonline.com

Think Again by Adam Grant: https://adamgrant.net/book/think-again

Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits

Brene Brown: https://brenebrown.com

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt: https://anxiousgeneration.com

DISC Profile: https://www.discprofile.com

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/03/authentic-marketing-for-dentists/
• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/02/dental-ai-vendor/
• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/01/questions-dental-marketing-company/

CONTACT INFO

Guest: Jennifer Derse Website: [Coaching website TBD, verify before publishing]

Host: Adrian Lefler Website: https://mysocialpractice.com Phone: 877-316-7516

👍 Subscribe for more on dental marketing, AI in dentistry, and practice growth.

#DentalAI #AIinDentistry #DentalLeadership #DentalPracticeGrowth #DentalConsulting #Dentistry #DentalTeam

TERMS & TRANSLATIONS (For Show Notes)

Implementation Gap The space between purchasing a new tool and actually using it in daily practice. In dentistry, this is almost always a people problem, not a software problem.

Behavior Change Shifting how a dental team performs routine tasks. Unlike a software update, this requires intentional leadership, repetition, and buy-in tied to patient care outcomes.

Shame Cycle A pattern where a doctor or team member resists change because it feels like admitting past methods were wrong. Common when introducing perio programs or AI diagnostics for the first time.

Perio Program A structured system for identifying, staging, grading, and treating periodontal disease. A healthy practice typically treats 30 to 40 percent of hygiene patients for some level of perio. Ratios near 5 percent usually signal underdiagnosis.

Staging and Grading The clinical classification system for periodontal disease. Staging measures severity; grading assesses progression risk. Practices not using it may be missing disease that AI would catch.

DISC Profile A behavioral assessment tool that helps dental leaders understand how to communicate with and coach different team members based on their default behavior style.

Approval Addiction When a clinician avoids presenting a difficult diagnosis out of fear of the patient's reaction. In perio, this means AI flags disease the hygienist sees but never raises.

Fixed vs. Growth Mindset A fixed mindset treats current protocols as unchangeable. A growth mindset stays open to new clinical evidence and feedback. The difference often determines whether coaching and new technology succeed or stall.

Culture by Design: The Leadership Framework Behind High-Performing Dental Practices

Most dentists blame their team when a new software rollout quietly dies. But after working with thousands of practices over 30 years, Stuart Anderson says the real problem almost always starts at the top. In this episode, we dig into what "culture by design" actually means, why dental practices struggle to adopt new technology and AI, and the one thing a practice can do to make sure change sticks.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

If your dental practice has ever invested in new software, a new AI tool, or a new system, only to watch it quietly disappear within a few months, this episode is for you. Stuart Anderson, a leadership coach and consultant with the Crown Council and its sister company TOPS (Total Patient Services), joins host Adrian Lefler to break down the concept of "culture by design." The conversation covers how a written culture guide gives a team shared expectations, how to pick a champion for new initiatives, why trying to implement too many things at once kills momentum, and how the most financially successful Crown Council practices have built a repeatable model for growth. Whether you're a solo dentist or running a multi-location group, the framework Stuart lays out will change how you think about leading your team through any kind of change, including AI adoption.

ABOUT STUART ANDERSON

STUART ANDERSON is a dental practice consultant and leadership coach at the Crown Council, one of dentistry's most respected professional membership organizations. Through the Crown Council and its consulting arm TOPS (Total Patient Services), Stuart has spent his career helping dental teams build what he calls "culture by design," a systematic, intentional approach to defining how a practice treats patients, handles challenges, adopts technology, and grows. Stuart has worked with thousands of dental practices across the country and is a passionate advocate for dentistry as a profession that can genuinely change lives.

COMPANIES AND RESOURCES MENTIONED

Crown Council: https://crowncouncil.org

TOPS (Total Patient Services): https://www.totalpatientservice.com

Smiles for Life Foundation: https://smilesforlife.org

UltraDent: https://ultradent.com

My Social Practice: https://mysocialpractice.com

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/03/ai-search-shift-dental-marketing/
• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/03/authentic-marketing-for-dentists/
• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/03/dental-ai-seo-authority/

CONTACT INFO

Guest: Stuart Anderson Website: https://crowncouncil.org

Host: Adrian Lefler: https://mysocialpractice.com/dental-marketing-expert/

Phone: 877-316-7516

👍 Subscribe for more on dental marketing, AI in dentistry, and practice growth.

#DentalPractice #DentalLeadership #DentalTeam #DentalAI #DentalPracticeGrowth #Dentistry #DentalMarketing

TERMS & TRANSLATIONS (For Show Notes)

Culture by Design An intentional, written approach to defining how a dental practice operates. Instead of letting the loudest voice set the tone, the team creates a shared document outlining how to treat patients, handle conflict, and adopt change.

Culture Guide A written document the team builds together that replaces vague expectations with specific agreed-upon standards, covering everything from arrival time to how problems get raised and resolved.

Culture Champion The team member assigned ownership of a specific new initiative. Without a champion, new tools stall because no one is actually responsible for making them succeed.

Entropy (in practice management) The natural drift toward disorder when standards aren't reinforced. Expectations erode gradually, and new technology initiatives lose momentum the same way a curfew gets pushed later and later when no one follows up.

SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) A documented, step-by-step process for how a task or workflow gets handled. When implementing new technology, an SOP defines who does what and when. Without one, new tools get launched but never consistently used.

Smiles for Life A four-month charitable campaign where Crown Council member practices donate whitening proceeds to children's charities. UltraDent donates all whitening supplies. It doubles as one of dentistry's most consistent new patient generators.

Reactive vs. Proactive Practice Culture A reactive practice waits until a problem forces change. A proactive practice has systems in place so that new technology and AI tools are absorbed smoothly rather than treated as disruptions.

Most dental practices assume AI implementation failures come down to the software. They don't. The real obstacle is the team sitting in your operatory every day and the psychology driving their resistance. In this episode of the Byte-Sized Podcast, Adrian Lefler sits down with Julieanne O'Connor and Michael Keeter of Influential Dental to unpack why AI in dentistry keeps stalling out at the human level and what practice owners can do about it right now.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

This episode breaks down why dental teams resist leveraging AI implementation. A pattern that is almost universal in dental practices. We discuss how leaders consistently miss the warning signs, and what a different approach to buy-in and change management actually looks like. Julieanne and Michael walk through the neuroscience of resistance, why money alone never motivates lasting adoption, how to identify who on your team will adapt and who won't, and what separates practices that have truly cracked AI adoption from those falling behind. If your practice has purchased an AI tool that never got off the ground, or if you are about to introduce one, this episode is required listening.

ABOUT Julieanne O'CONNOR AND MICHAEL KEETER

Julieanne O'CONNOR is a mindset and influence coach whose work is grounded in neuroscience and practical psychology. She has spent years in the dental space coaching high achievers and elite dental teams. MICHAEL KEETER brings nearly two decades of clinical and dental industry experience to the implementation side of team development. Together they co-founded Influential Dental, a personal and professional development company that works with high-performing dentists, group owners, and DSOs across the country. They also publish Influence, the only lifestyle and mindset magazine in the dental space. Both will be speaking at the Medical and Dental AI Summit.

COMPANIES AND RESOURCES MENTIONED

Influential Dental – https://influentialdentists.com/

My Social Practice -- https://mysocialpractice.com

Medical and Dental AI Summit -- https://top100doc.com/london/

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/02/ai-search-recommended-byte-sized/
• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/02/new-patient-journey-2026/
• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/02/dental-ai-vendor/

CONTACT INFO

Guests: Julieanne O'Connor and Michael Keeter Website: https://influentialdental.com (flag: verify before publishing)

Host: Adrian Lefler Website: https://mysocialpractice.com Phone: 877-316-7516

👍 Subscribe for more on dental marketing, AI in dentistry, and practice growth.

#DentalAI #AIinDentistry #DentalPracticeGrowth #DentalTeamTraining #DentalMarketing #ArtificialIntelligenceInDentistry #DentalLeadership

TERMS & TRANSLATIONS (For Show Notes)

Emotional Buy-In The psychological commitment a team member has to a new process or tool. A team member may use a new AI tool because they were told to, but without emotional buy-in they will drag their feet or quietly undermine the rollout.

Change Management A structured approach to transitioning a team from a current way of working to a new one. For dental practices adopting AI, this means addressing the human side of the shift, not just installing software and hoping people figure it out.

Resistance The visible or hidden pushback a dental team shows when asked to adopt new technology. It can look like missed deadlines, excuses, silence, or complaints. Resistance is almost always rooted in fear or unclear expectations, not laziness.

Ceiling of Comfort The invisible upper limit a person sets on their own potential without realizing it. Team members operating under this ceiling resist AI adoption not because they cannot learn, but because stretching beyond a familiar role feels unsafe.

Self-Selection When a team member voluntarily steps back from a role because the evolving expectations no longer fit them. In a healthy dental practice culture, good change management leads struggling team members to self-select out rather than being terminated.

Turnover Cost The full financial and operational cost of losing a team member, including recruiting, onboarding, training, and the drop in team morale. In dental practices, this figure is commonly estimated between $80,000 and $100,000 per lost employee.

Most dental practices assume a membership plan is the key to dropping insurance. But launching one without the right strategy can actually shrink your practice, hurt your valuation, and frustrate your team.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

In this episode, Adrian Lefler sits down with Paul Lowry of Dental Menu to unpack why most practices misfire when they drop insurance and add a membership program. Paul shares data from a 250,000-patient study showing 88% of cash pay patients leave within five years, and explains why retention is the real driver of long-term profitability. You'll learn the three things every practice needs before dropping a single insurance plan, why your hygiene department is your "farm," and why the way most software records membership payments is quietly damaging your books, your provider pay, and your practice valuation.

ABOUT PAUL LOWRY

PAUL LOWRY is the founder of Dental Menu, one of the most operationally sophisticated dental membership plan platforms in dentistry. Paul spent years doing external marketing for practices starting in 2008, tracking what actually happened to cash pay versus insurance patients over time. That research led him to build a platform that helps practices launch, manage, and financially optimize in-house membership plans with full software integration, team training, and incentive systems.

DENTAL AND TECH COMPANIES MENTIONED

• Dental Menu - https://dentalmenu.com
• My Social Practice - https://mysocialpractice.com
• TeamCare - https://teamcaredental.com

CONTACT INFO

Guest: Paul Lowry | Dental Menu | https://dentalmenu.com

Host: Adrian Lefler | https://mysocialpractice.com | 877-316-7516

👍 Subscribe for more on dental marketing, AI in dentistry, and practice growth.

#DentalMembershipPlan #DentalMarketing #GoOutOfNetwork #DentalPracticeGrowth #Dentistry #DentalBusiness #FeeForService

TERMS & TRANSLATIONS (For Show Notes)

Membership Plan A subscription program a practice offers uninsured patients covering preventive care for a flat monthly fee. The practice sets its own terms and keeps all the revenue.

In-Network vs. Out-of-Network In-network means accepting reduced insurance reimbursement rates. Out-of-network means dropping those contracts to collect closer to full fees, with the tradeoff of potential patient loss.

Recurring Revenue Income that arrives on a predictable schedule regardless of whether a patient comes in that month. Unlike fee-for-service dentistry, membership revenue kept coming in even during COVID shutdowns.

Breakage Revenue the practice keeps when a membership patient pays their subscription but doesn't use all included benefits. Insurance companies profit from this constantly. A membership plan gives that same advantage to the practice.

Cash Pay Patient A patient with no insurance who pays out of pocket. Data in this episode shows only 12% remain active after five years without a membership plan.

PPO A dental insurance arrangement where the practice accepts reduced fees in exchange for being listed as a preferred provider.

UCR Fees A practice's published full-price rates before insurance adjustments. Out-of-network practices collect closer to UCR per patient.

Hygiene-Driven Restorative Regular hygiene visits generate restorative treatment discovery. If hygiene is all PPO patients, restorative revenue will be too.

Production vs. Collection Production is services delivered; collection is what is actually received. Membership plan payments can throw these out of alignment, skewing provider compensation and analytics.

Write-Off An accounting entry reducing what a patient owes. Incorrectly recorded membership benefits appear as write-offs, distorting KPIs and provider bonuses.

Practice Valuation What a practice is worth at sale. Membership plan accounting errors can create hidden liabilities that hurt the final number.

DSO A company managing or owning multiple dental practices, referenced here in the context of competitive pricing pressure on independent practices.

Fear, Friction, and the Fix: How to Actually Implement Technology in Your Practice

Dental AI implementation is one of the most misunderstood challenges in modern practice growth. Buying the technology is the easy part. Getting your team to actually use it is where most dental practices quietly fail.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

Most dental practices have a closet, or a spare operatory, full of technology that was never implemented. In this episode, practice consultant Laci Phillips Newland joins host Adrian Lefler to dig into why that keeps happening and what to do about it. They cover the real reasons dental teams resist AI and new software, why fear of job replacement runs deeper than most doctors realize, and what a genuine change management process looks like in a dental practice. If you have ever bought a tool at a conference and watched it die on the shelf, this episode will explain exactly why and show you a better way forward.

ABOUT LACI PHILLIPS NEWLAND

LACI PHILLIPS NEWLAND is a dental practice consultant who has worked in and around dentistry since 1992. She started as a chairside assistant and has spent her career helping practice owners and their teams bridge the gap between buying exciting technology and actually changing how the practice runs. She specializes in communication, change management, leadership development, and building systems that stick. Laci works with practices of all sizes and is known for her no-drama, conversation-first approach to building high-performing dental teams.

COMPANIES AND RESOURCES MENTIONED

My Social Practice https://mysocialpractice.com

Florida Probe https://floridaprobe.com

Practice Dynamics: https://practicedynamics.net/

CareCredit https://carecredit.com

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

• https://info.mysocialpractice.com/bridging-the-gap-ebook
• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/02/new-patient-journey-2026/
• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/02/dental-ai-vendor/

CONTACT INFO

Guest: Laci Phillips Newland Website: https://practicedynamics.net/

Email: [email protected]

Host: Dental Marketing expert Adrian Lefler

Website: https://mysocialpractice.com/dental-marketing-expert/

Phone: 877-316-7516

👍 Subscribe for more on dental marketing, AI in dentistry, and practice growth.

#DentalAI #DentalTechnology #ArtificialIntelligenceInDentistry #DentalPracticeGrowth #DentalTeam #DentalMarketing #DentalConsulting

TERMS & TRANSLATIONS (For Show Notes)

Dental AI Implementation The process of introducing AI tools into a practice and getting the team to actually use them. Most practices struggle not with the technology but with the human side, including communication, role changes, and team anxiety.

Change Management A structured approach to transitioning a team from one way of working to another. In dentistry, this means preparing the team before a purchase, not after.

Team Buy-In When dental team members genuinely support a new system rather than just tolerating it. Without buy-in, technology gets adopted in name only and eventually abandoned.

AI Receptionist A software tool that answers incoming calls, responds to patient inquiries, and handles scheduling for calls that would otherwise go to voicemail. It works alongside human staff rather than replacing them.

Implementation Specialist A designated team member responsible for planning and rolling out new technology in an organized way. They anticipate obstacles before launch and document processes so nothing falls through the cracks.

WIG (Wildly Important Goal) A framework that challenges a practice to identify one defining goal for the year, then build quarterly objectives around it. Too many goals produce too little progress.

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) Measurable data points that tell a practice whether it is on track. Common dental KPIs include new patient counts, treatment acceptance rates, and accounts receivable aging.

AR (Accounts Receivable) The total amount owed to the practice by patients and insurance. AI tools like automated billing reminders and text-to-pay are designed to keep AR low.

Text to Pay A feature that sends patients a payment link via text. Patients pay faster this way than through paper statements, which reduces AR and speeds up collections.

Florida Probe A clinical device that records probing depths, bleeding, and furcation data directly into practice management software as the hygienist works. It faced the same team resistance when introduced in the late 1990s that modern AI tools face today.

Law of Diminishing Returns In goal setting, the principle that too many goals reduce the likelihood of achieving any of them. Practices do better by focusing on one major priority at a time.

AI in dentistry isn't coming. It's already here, and the doctors who aren't paying attention are already falling behind. In this episode, Dr. Val Torres delivers an unfiltered take on why AI fails in healthcare, what happens to the dentist who ignores it, and what's at stake for every patient sitting in a dental chair right now.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

Dr. Val Torres joins Adrian Lefler for a rapid-fire conversation that pulls no punches about the state of AI in dentistry and healthcare. Val breaks down the real reason AI adoption stalls in clinical settings (hint: it's not the technology), why the next five years will separate forward-thinking dentists from the ones who get left behind, and what unregulated AI entering the medical market actually means for patient safety. He also shares what he's bringing to the stage at the Global Medical and Dental AI Summit in London this summer, and why that kind of room offers something no podcast or blog post ever will. If you're a dentist still on the fence about AI, this one is going to challenge you.

ABOUT VAL TORRES MD, MBA, FIADFE

VAL TORRES is a physician, MBA, and Fellow of the International Academy of Dento-Facial Esthetics with deep expertise at the intersection of medicine, dentistry, and technology. He is a speaker at the Global Medical and Dental AI Summit in London, where he will challenge clinicians to rethink what the role of a doctor looks like in an AI-driven future. Val is known for cutting through the hype and speaking plainly about the business model problems that slow AI adoption in healthcare.

COMPANIES AND RESOURCES MENTIONED

ChatGPT by OpenAI https://chat.openai.com

Global Medical and Dental AI Summit (London): https://top100doc.com/london/

Healthcare Workforce projections: https://bhw.hrsa.gov/data-research/projecting-health-workforce-supply-demand

My Social Practice: www.mysocialpractice.com

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

1. https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/03/authentic-marketing-for-dentists/
2. https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/03/ai-search-tools-global-volume/
3. https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/02/chatgpt-dental-content/

CONTACT INFO

Guest: Dr. Val Torres MD, MBA, FIADFE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drvaltorres/

Host: Dental Marketing Expert Adrian Lefler

Website: https://mysocialpractice.com/dental-marketing-expert/

Phone: 877-316-7516

👍 Subscribe for more on dental marketing, AI in dentistry, and practice growth.

#DentalAI #AIInDentistry #ArtificialIntelligence #DentalPracticeGrowth #DentistryInnovation #DentalTechnology #DentalMarketing

TERMS & TRANSLATIONS (For Show Notes)

AI Adoption The process of integrating artificial intelligence tools into a dental practice. In dentistry, this includes AI for X-ray analysis, treatment planning, scheduling, or patient communication.

Broken Incentive Model A healthcare structure where providers are paid for treating problems rather than preventing them. Val identifies this as the real reason AI stalls in healthcare. If AI reduces procedures needed, it can threaten revenue.

False Confidence at Scale When a clinician over-relies on AI recommendations because they have been accurate in the past, leading to missed diagnoses. In dentistry, this might mean trusting an AI X-ray reading without independent clinical judgment.

AI Governance in Healthcare The regulatory frameworks (or lack thereof) that determine which AI products can enter the dental and medical market. No single governing body currently monitors all AI software entering clinical settings, creating real patient safety questions for providers.

ChatGPT Prompting Writing specific, intentional instructions to ChatGPT to shape the tone and angle of its response. Val mentions using prompts designed to produce provocative, direct output. For dental practices, strong prompting separates useful AI content from generic filler.

Early Pathology Detection Identifying disease or decay at its earliest stage before it becomes a larger problem. Val references AI misreading an X-ray and missing early pathology as a key patient safety risk. In dentistry, this could mean a delayed diagnosis of caries, bone loss, or a suspicious lesion.

Relevance Risk for Dentists The professional risk of becoming outdated not by losing a license but by losing patient trust. Val argues that within five years, patients will actively choose providers who use AI over those who do not, the same way patients today expect digital records and online booking.

Large Language Model (LLM) The AI technology behind tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. It generates text by predicting what words and ideas follow a given prompt. Dental teams use LLMs to draft patient communications, social posts, and content. These tools produce probabilistic responses, not verified clinical facts.

Dental case acceptance has always been about emotion, not logic, and now AI is giving dentists a visual tool to close that gap in under 30 seconds. In this episode, Dr. Simone Stori breaks down the psychology of why patients say no and how his AI smile simulation tool, Smile Up Studio, is helping practices accept more cases right from the operatory chair.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

Most dentists assume patients decline treatment because of cost. But the science of human decision-making tells a different story. Adrian Lefler sits down with Dr. Stori to explore the three-brain model and how dentists can use it to structure better consultations. Dr. Stori explains why the walk from the operatory to the front desk is where most case acceptance is lost, and why the treatment coordinator should anchor the entire process. The episode includes a live walkthrough of Smile Up Studio, which generates photorealistic smile simulations from a single selfie in under 30 seconds. Dentists will walk away understanding how to structure the consultation chain, prevent patient drop-off, and why aesthetic cases demand an emotion-first approach.

ABOUT DR. SIMONE STORI

DR. SIMONE STORI is an Italian clinical dentist specializing in aesthetic and restorative dentistry, including Digital Smile Design, injection technique composite, and full-arch rehabilitation. He developed Smile Up Studio to help practices generate chairside AI smile simulations in real time. Dr. Stori is a certified injection technique trainer and will be speaking at the London Medical and Dental AI Summit in June 2026 on AI-enhanced first consultations.

COMPANIES AND RESOURCES MENTIONED

Smile Up Studio: https://smaileup.com/login?invite=609D90ABEF

Digital Smile Design (DSD) by Christian Coachman: https://digitalsmiledesign.com

Dr. Paul Homoly (Case Acceptance Training): https://paulhomoly.com

Jordan Belfort / Straight Line Persuasion: https://jordanbelfort.com

London Medical and Dental AI Summit: https://top100doc.com/london/

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

1. Dental AI Wearables: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-334xox18I
2. Building Dental AI Infrastructure: https://youtu.be/SOnkWEfIggY?si=j3yR6uFX7nahd8-L
3. How to Be Recommended by ChatGPT: https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/03/dental-ai-seo-authority/

CONTACT INFO

Guest: Dr. Simone Stori https://smaileup.com/login?invite=609D90ABEF

Host: Adrian Lefler Website: https://mysocialpractice.com Phone: 877-316-7516

SUBSCRIBE

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HASHTAGS

#DentalAI #DentalCaseAcceptance #AIinDentistry #SmileDesign #DentalMarketing #DentalPracticeGrowth #AestheticDentistry

TERMS & TRANSLATIONS (For Show Notes)

Three-Brain Model (MacLean's Triune Brain) Three functional brain layers: reptilian (fight-or-flight), limbic (emotion and trust), and neocortex (logic). Patients decide emotionally first and justify with logic afterward. A dentist presenting only clinical facts is speaking to the wrong layer.

Case Acceptance The rate at which patients agree to move forward with a treatment plan. Improving it converts existing patient relationships into production without requiring new patient acquisition.

Treatment Coordinator The team member who guides patients through consultation and financial discussion. Dr. Stori positions this role as the central relationship anchor, present from the first phone call through the final yes, not just at the front desk.

Smile Up Studio AI-powered chairside software that generates photorealistic smile simulations from a selfie in 20 to 30 seconds. Functions include whitening, alignment, veneers, injection technique, and full-arch reconstruction. Can also be deployed as a website lead magnet.

Injection Technique (Composite) A minimally invasive cosmetic procedure using composite resin injected into a custom mask and applied to the teeth, enhancing the smile without removing natural tooth structure. Common in Europe and growing globally.

Lead Magnet A free tool used to attract new patients and capture contact information. Dr. Stori's version: a prospective patient uploads a photo, gets an AI smile preview, then provides name, email, and phone to receive the result.

Consultation Chain The unbroken sequence of handoffs from the first phone call through treatment acceptance. Any gap, such as an uninvolved front desk handoff, reduces the likelihood of a yes. Warm transitions at every step keep the patient feeling followed, not dropped.

Buyer's Remorse The doubt a patient experiences after verbally agreeing to treatment but before committing financially. Most often triggered during the walk from the operatory to the front desk. Closing the financial discussion before the patient leaves the chair reduces drop-off significantly.

Google Ads for dentists is getting harder, more expensive, and more confusing, but the data says paid advertising isn't going anywhere. In this episode, we dig into what's actually driving ad costs up, how AI search will reshape the Google interface, and why tracking the right numbers is the only thing that separates practices that win from practices that waste money.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

In this episode of the Byte-Sized Podcast, Adrian Lefler sits down with Gary Bird of SMC National to break down the current state of Google Ads for dental practices. Gary shares how the Google Ads platform has evolved from a simple, self-serve tool into a highly competitive auction environment, explains why certain keywords like Botox can silently tank a dental website's visibility, and walks through how AI-powered search is likely to change where ads appear inside Google's interface. The conversation covers the real math behind dental ad budgets, how to calculate cost per lead and patient acquisition, and why most practices are losing potential patients not because of bad ads but because of missed calls and undertrained front desk teams. Gary also lays out the case for Google reviews as the single most durable investment a dental practice can make heading into an unpredictable AI search future.

ABOUT GARY BIRD

GARY BIRD is the founder and CEO of SMC National, one of the most data-driven dental marketing agencies in the country. With over 15 years in dental marketing, Gary has built proprietary tracking infrastructure and a custom CRM that follows a patient journey from the first ad click all the way through treatment acceptance and re-care. He has navigated every major shift in dental marketing, from yellow pages to Facebook ads to AI-driven search, and is known for his blunt, numbers-first approach to measuring marketing ROI. Gary is based in Los Angeles and speaks regularly on dental practice growth, conversion optimization, and the future of paid advertising in dentistry.

COMPANIES AND RESOURCES MENTIONED

SMC National -- Dental marketing agency specializing in Google Ads, tracking infrastructure, and ROI measurement for dental practices. https://smcnational.com (Please verify URL before publishing)

Google Ads -- The primary pay-per-click advertising platform discussed throughout the episode. https://ads.google.com

Google Business Profile -- Google's local listing platform for dental practices, central to review strategy and local search visibility. https://business.google.com

Google Gemini -- Google's AI model powering the AI Overviews and AI Mode features that are reshaping how search results are displayed. https://gemini.google.com

ChatGPT / OpenAI -- AI chat platform referenced as an emerging search alternative and upcoming ad platform for non-healthcare verticals. https://chat.openai.com

Meta / Facebook Ads -- Advertising platform recommended for dental practices promoting Botox services, which are restricted on Google Ads. https://www.facebook.com/business/ads

Apple Siri / Google Gemini Integration -- Referenced in context of Apple's reported agreement to power Siri with Google Gemini, expanding Google's AI reach across mobile devices. https://www.apple.com (Please verify deal details before publishing)

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/03/authentic-marketing-for-dentists/

• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/03/no-seo-is-not-dead/

• https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/03/dental-ai-seo-authority/

CONTACT INFORMATION

Guest: Gary Bird

Website: https://smcnational.com

Host: Dental Marketing Expert Adrian Lefler

Website: https://mysocialpractice.com

Phone: 877-316-7516

SUBSCRIBE

👍 Subscribe for more on dental marketing, AI in dentistry, and practice growth.

HASHTAGS

#GoogleAdsForDentists #DentalMarketing #AIInDentistry #DentalPracticeGrowth #DentalAI #PaidAdvertising #DentistMarketing

TERMS & TRANSLATIONS (FOR SHOW NOTES)

Google Ads (AdWords)

Google's pay-per-click advertising platform where dental practices compete in a real-time auction for ad placements on Google search results. Every time someone searches a keyword like 'dentist near me,' Google runs a behind-the-scenes auction and the highest bidder with the best quality score wins the placement. Practices pay per click, not per impression.

Cost Per Click (CPC)

The amount a dental practice pays each time a potential patient clicks on their Google ad. CPC in dentistry has been rising steadily due to increased competition. A high CPC does not automatically mean good results; the key metric is cost per qualified lead and cost per new patient.

Cost Per Lead (CPL)

The total ad spend divided by the number of qualified leads generated. For dental practices, a lead is typically defined as a phone call or form submission from a prospective new patient. This number is far more useful than clicks alone when evaluating ad performance.

Conversion Rate

The percentage of ad clicks that result in a desired action, usually a phone call or appointment request. A dental practice might receive 100 clicks and 20 phone calls, giving them a 20 percent conversion rate. Improving the landing page, photos, and Google reviews all influence this number.

ROI (Return on Investment)

In dental marketing, ROI measures the revenue generated from marketing spend compared to what was spent. Gary distinguishes between short-term ROI (treatment completed in the same month) and lifetime ROI (all treatment, referrals, and re-care traced back to the original marketing source). Because dental treatment cycles are long, ROI often looks poor in month one and much stronger over 6 to 12 months.

AI Overviews

A feature Google has rolled out at the top of search results that uses AI to generate a summarized answer to a user's query, pulling from multiple websites. For dental practices, appearing in an AI Overview can drive traffic without the practice ranking in traditional organic results, but it can also reduce click-through rates on standard listings below it.

AI Mode (Google)

A full AI-powered search interface Google is expected to roll out more broadly in 2026. Rather than displaying a list of ten blue links, AI Mode presents a conversational, AI-generated response to the user's query. This changes how and where ads appear, and where organic content gets cited.

Zero-Click Search

A search where the user gets their answer directly from the search results page and never clicks through to any website. AI Overviews accelerate this trend. For dental practices relying on organic SEO traffic, zero-click search is reducing the volume of website visitors even when they rank well.

Organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

The process of optimizing a dental website to appear in unpaid search results. Unlike Google Ads, organic rankings are not guaranteed and take time to build. Gary argues that as AI search expands, the value of organic-only strategies will decline and paid advertising will play a larger role in patient acquisition.

Google Business Profile (GBP)

The free business listing that appears in Google Maps and the local pack (the three-location box in search results). For dental practices, the GBP is critical because many patients call directly from the listing rather than visiting the website. Call volume, reviews, response time, and photos all affect how the GBP ranks.

Hyperscalers

Gary's term for the large technology platforms like Google, Meta, and Amazon that dominate internet infrastructure. These companies generate revenue by collecting user data and selling highly targeted advertising against it. Understanding their business model helps dental practice owners understand why AI search tools will likely adopt the same advertising-based revenue structure.

PMS (Practice Management Software)

The software a dental office uses to schedule appointments, track patient records, and manage billing. Examples include Dentrix, Eaglesoft, and Curve. Gary's CRM integrates with the PMS to connect marketing data (ad clicks, calls) with actual patient revenue, making true ROI calculation possible.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

Software that tracks interactions between a business and its customers across every touchpoint. Gary's custom dental CRM connects Google Ads data, phone call recordings, appointment scheduling, and treatment production from the PMS into one dashboard so practices can see exactly where their new patients came from and how much revenue each marketing dollar produced.

Patient Lifetime Value (LTV)

The total revenue a dental practice can expect from a single patient over the entire relationship, including all treatment, re-care visits, and referrals. Marketing ROI looks very different when measured against LTV versus single-visit production. Gary's 694 percent ROI figure is based on cumulative lifetime value across all integrated clients.

Average Production on First Visit

A metric Gary uses to gauge whether a dental practice is seeing the right volume of new patients relative to their production capacity. If first-visit production is very high, it often signals too few new patients and over-treatment of each one. If it is very low, it may mean the practice has too many patients to treat properly or is triaging instead of scheduling complete care.

De-indexed Landing Page

A web page that is intentionally hidden from Google's search index so that it does not affect the main website's SEO or trigger Google's restricted content policies. Gary uses de-indexed landing pages for practices that want to promote restricted services like Botox, routing Facebook ad traffic there while keeping it invisible to Google.

User Generated Content (UGC)

Content created by real patients rather than the practice itself, including Google reviews, social media comments, photos, and testimonials. AI-powered search engines heavily weight UGC when determining which dental practices to surface in results because it reflects authentic patient experience rather than practice marketing copy.

Block Scheduling

A scheduling strategy where specific appointment types are grouped into designated time slots to improve efficiency and reduce no-shows. Gary references it as one lever practices can use to reduce the average 28-day wait time for new patients, which directly impacts the no-show rate and overall marketing ROI.

Tokens (AI)

The unit of measurement for AI processing capacity. When a dental practice or marketing agency uses a paid AI tool like ChatGPT or Claude to generate content or analyze data, they are charged based on the number of tokens consumed. Gary uses this in the context of explaining why AI tools will likely remain free to consumers while businesses pay for usage at scale.